


Mulligan

by fmpsimon



Series: FFXV Week 4 2017 [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Dreams, Gen, Rebirth, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11861970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fmpsimon/pseuds/fmpsimon
Summary: Noctis wakes up in his own bed only to discover that the last several months, the toil and hardship, the tragedy and ultimate victory over evil, never happened.





	Mulligan

              Noctis was swimming in inky blackness for a long time before he woke up, sitting bolt upright in bed.  He clutched his t-shirt at his breast, gasping for air.  He looked around, realizing that he was alone in his bedroom, in his own bed, the silk sheets messily pushed away from him.  He lifted up his shirt, staring down at his stomach, running his hands across his skin, feeling for any wounds or scars.  Nothing.  He exhaled slowly, waiting for his heartbeat to slow.  The moon was so bright that everything in his bedroom was visible, so he had no trouble stepping over boxes to get to the window.  He peered out, taking in Insomnia's skyline against the pale moonlight.  The city was lit up, like it always was, its citizens still busily going about their lives, even in the middle of the night.  This was how Insomnia always was—a city that never slept, perhaps a city that couldn’t sleep, because there was always something to do.  He remembered the ruins from his dream and shuddered.  But why?  Everything was normal.  Everything was as it should have been.  So, why was he so worried?

              He padded across the room and quietly opened the door, immediately spotting three lumpy sleeping bags on the floor.  The curtains were drawn, but Prompto's fully charged phone was giving off some decent light.  They were all there: Prompto, Ignis, Gladio, all sleeping peacefully on the living room floor of Noctis's apartment.  It was empty now, just boxes and furniture, all pushed towards the front of the apartment, a skeleton of what it was a day ago.  It took him a moment to remember but…that’s right, he was moving his things back into the Citadel.  He was getting married soon, and he and Luna would be living in the Citadel from then on.  His eyes passed over each one of them; Prompto was all curled up, hugging an extra pillow, a cute expression on his face; Ignis's glasses glinted in the little light there was while he slept on his stomach, his arms and legs wildly positioned, which was so unlike his normal, composed self; Gladio was snoring loudly on his back, his hands folded neatly on his bare chest.  Noctis clutched at his breast again, overcome with a sadness that he couldn't explain.  Why did he feel like he had just said goodbye to these three?  And it hadn't been a "see you later"—it was a goodbye forever.  His chest tightened and his lip quivered.  The dream had been so real, the entire journey had played out while he slept, but here he was—here they _all_ were—before the journey had even started.

              Noctis remembered the day they left like it was yesterday: his father had sent them all off officially, and then come to deliver a more personal message.  He had asked the others to take care of his…was it wayward?—son.  And then the words that Noctis didn’t think he would ever forget: _walk tall_.  He hadn’t really understood it at the time, but as the journey had gone on, he came to truly see what his father had meant.  Noctis stopped, blinking back tears suddenly.  His father.  If that had all been a dream, did that mean his father was still…alive?  And Luna?  And everyone else who he had lost?  He wiped his eyes, unsure of how a dream could affect him so deeply.

              In his dream, even _he_ had died.  Well, it had been sacrifice…sacrifice to save the world.  He remembered the last moments vividly, the kings of old lending him their power, stabbing him with all the royal arms.  He remembered defeating...defeating...some man.  He narrowed his eyes, thinking, unable to recall the person that he had been fighting.  The longer he stood there, the more disappeared from his memory, fading away…

              He didn’t remember falling back to sleep that night.  He had gone out onto the patio to get some fresh air and stare at the stars.  For some reason, though he couldn’t really remember why, he really missed looking at the stars.  It seemed second nature now, though he had never spent much time doing that, only the one or two camping trips that his father had dragged him on.  He had hated those.  The food had been bad, the ground had been lumpy, it had been cold, and he had barely gotten any sleep.  The one good thing had been the fishing.  When Noctis woke up, the sun was rising, big and red in the sky.  His breath caught in his throat.  It was beautiful.  He felt tears prick at his eyes.  It felt like it had been so long since he’d seen the sun in the sky, since he’d felt the warmth on his skin.

              “Mulligan!  Mulligan!” he heard Prompto cry.  He turned around and looked inside, where his friends were all gathered, playing on their phones.

              “What are you talking about?” Gladio snarled.  It was still early.

              Prompto laughed.  “Wow, I know something _you_ don’t.  It’s when you don’t like the result, so you go back and do it again.  A do-over.”

              Noctis headed inside, greeting his friends with a wide yawn.  It was going to be a big day.  The start of their journey to Altissia.  He had a weird feeling of deja-vu, but he dismissed it.  All wedding business aside, this was going to be a fun adventure.  He wondered if he’d get to do much fishing on the way…


End file.
